The question Jesus asked the disciples is probably the most important question we’ll ever need to answer. In fact, it’s not too much to say that our salvation depends on it.
Jesus told us in a number of ways that the way to heaven is through our faith in him and our belief in him as the divine Son of God. He said, “No one can come to the Father but through me.” He said that those who recognize him as the Savior on earth he will recognize in heaven, but those who deny him on earth will be denied in heaven. Those of us who’ve been given the chance to know who Jesus is need to know how to answer the question Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”
In Jesus’ time, a lot of people did not know. You heard the responses from the general public. Some said John the Baptist, some said Elijah, some said Jeremiah, some said another of the prophets. Those were all great people, of course, and the people who said that’s who Jesus was probably thought they were giving Jesus great honor. The thing is, though, that all those great people were still people. Comparing Jesus to a human being, no matter how great the human being is, is not giving him honor, because Jesus is greater than any human could ever be.
Those people recognized Jesus’ greatness, but they could not go all the way. They did not recognize that Jesus was, in fact, not merely a human being at all; that while he was fully human, he was also the fully divine Son of God.
It’s understandable why they would not recognize him that way, though. After all, we still don’t know exactly how that works, that Jesus could be fully human and fully divine at the same time. Besides, while Jesus worked miracles, the prophets had worked miracles at times, too. It was only natural, then, that the people of Jesus’ time would see him as a prophet. They were relating to Jesus in the only way they really knew how, the only way that would make sense to them.
While it was understandable for the people of Jesus’ time to not recognize who Jesus was, it is not as understandable for us. After all, we know some things the people of Jesus’ time did not know. Most importantly, we know that Jesus was raised from the dead. That is the ultimate proof, if we need proof, that Jesus was who he said he was—the fully divine Son of God.
We need to know how to answer Jesus’ question. “Who do you say that I am?” I hope, and I suspect, that most of us would say what Peter did, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Here’s the thing, though. It’s not enough for us to just say the words. We need to truly believe them. If we truly believe them, then our lives will be consistent with a belief that Jesus is the Son of the living God.
So, I encourage you to take a look at your life, just as I need to take a look at my life. Does your life show that you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God? If someone did not know you, but knew the things you’ve done and the things you’re doing now, would they be able to tell that you’re a Christian? Would they be able to tell, just from observing the way you live, that you believe in Jesus as your Savior?
It’s not necessarily an easy question to answer. It’s not always an easy question for me to answer about myself, either. There may be times when people could tell I’m a Christian, but I’m sure there are times when it’s not very obvious. In fact, there are probably times when it does not look like I’m a Christian at all.
You may have noticed that, when Jesus asked the disciples “Who do you say that I am?”, only Peter responded. I suspect this may not have been an easy question for all the disciples. I suspect some of them, even though they were with Jesus all this time, still had questions about just exactly who Jesus was. I suspect some of them, when Jesus asked this question, were not sure exactly what to say.
We have an advantage over the disciples. We know what we should say. On the other hand, God knows what’s in our hearts.
Let’s all resolve this week to take a look at our lives. Let’s live lives that show we believe it when we say that Jesus is the Messiah. Let live lives that show we mean it when we say that Jesus is the son of the living God.
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